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THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 19, 1940
Long Trek Of Convoys Off At Midnight On Burma Road
Army Of Coolies I
On Road
Road To Repair Any Damage
By O. M. Green, Reuter's Far Eastern Editor in London and former
Editor of the "North China Daily News."
SEVEN MINUTES AFTER MIDNIGHT THE FIRST OF 4,000 MOTOR LORRIES WAITING AT LASHIO FOR THE RE-OPENING OF THE BURMA ROAD STARTED ON THE PERILOUS JOURNEY TO YUNNANFU, CAPITAL OF YUNNAN PROVINCE.
JAPANESE CLAIM DAMAGE TO BURMA ROAD
Japanese naval air- craft yesterday flew over the hinterland of Yunnan and bombed an important bridge on the Burma route, seriously damaging it, the Japanese South China Seas Fleet Com- mand announces... Reuter.
POLITICAL SUSPECTS ARRESTED
The drivers were entertained at a farewell banquet and were promised a wine feast on arrival at Yunnanfu. They stoutly declared they were not afraid of the savage Japanese threats to bomb them out of existence.
'
The lorries, painted a dirty green, will travel mostly at night while an army of coolies is spread along the road to repair any damage.
CHUNG KUNG COMMENT ON EVENT
Since the road was closed three] months ago the Chinese, confiden' It would be re-opened, accumulat- ed mountains of war and other materials besides petrol at the Burma end.
It is estimated that 100,000 tona of cargo are ready at Lashio and another 500,000 at Rangoon.
Since Indo-China is irrevec- ably closed to the Chinese by Vichy's surrender of the colony IN A LEADER ON THE RE- to the Japanese the Burma road OPENING OF THE BURMA is China's only means of access to the sea, and is doubly valu- ROAD, THE OFFICIAL "CEN-jable both for imports and as a TRAL DAILY NEWS" IN channel for exporting silk, wool, CHUNGKING DECLARES THE tea, hides, wolfram and the much prized wood oll which China MOST EFFECTIVE MEASURE
alone-produces. TO CHECK JAPANESE AG- GRESSION IS MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO CHINA, OF WHICH THE RE- OPENING OF THE BURMA ROAD IS ONE.
of
in the
For the first time since
"While we are gratified at Shanghai has been trou-Britain's re-opening of the Burma bled by a long wave of road, we appeal to the powers to political crimes, two alleg-strengthen the Chinese war
resistance, the success of which ed political assassins said will help secure peace to be connected with Pacific world," Chungking, are reported to have been arrested, one in the Settlement and the other, a girl, in Hang- chow.
All Chungking newspapers feature the news under banner headlines and also carry lead- ing articles stressing the signi.. ficance of the event.
Wonder Of World
The road may justly be ru- garded as one of the wonders of The world with a total length of 772 miles of which 124 have the already been constructed, by Burma Government from Lashio to the frontier, while 281 mue west from Kunming were built two years before as part of the Chinese Government's nation- wide road building scheme.
The
remaining 367 miles traverses mountain ranges like toast-racks 3,000 to 8,000 feet high, two mighty rivers, Sal- ween and Meking, foaming
between.
4
There is no way round..
and
Sir Bede Clifford (left) Governor of Mauritius, handing to Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, a silver cigarette box and two cheques at the Admiralty recently. The cigarette box was for the wardroom of H.M.S. Mauritius and one of the cheques for £11,000 was for the purchase of a sea- plane for the vessel. The other was for £150,000 and was a gift for the prosecution of the war.
RUMANIA'S OIL PRODUCTION PROBLEM
REUTER'S CORRESPONDENT in Rumania says that Germany's immediate and urgent, notice is focussed on the exploitation of Rumania's oil.
Oil production has dropped-to-1,200-wagons a day, mainly owing to transport difficulties, terri--- torial changes and the mobilisation and demobilisa- tion of the Rumanian troops.
SWEDISH
A.A. GUNS OPEN UP
Annual production is down to soma 4,000,000 tons, as compared with a normal of 6,000,000,
Production has been deliberately restricted because the reservoirs are overflowing and the transport system is already taking its full load.
Swedish anti-aircraft If the Danube freezes as hard this winter as it did the last, the batteries opened fire on three German bombers transport problem will become
a Rumanian mission is being sent '; Mr. T. K. Tseng, Vice-Minister the road must go straight ahead which flew over Swedish worse, and it is not suprising that whatever the difficulties which territory near the coast of to Berlin to review the whole for. Foreign Affairs, representing the Chinese Government, will rential rains from July to Octo-Scania yesterday morn-position. take charge They are alleged to have con-
of transportation fessed to a number of assassina-problems at Rangoon, though it be gashing the mountain sides ing. tions, including that of Mo Shiy-is officially stated there will not with crevasses and landslides. ing, late president of the "Kuo Min be any formal ceremony.-Reu-
Sin Wan," a Nanking organ, who was shot dead near Foklen Road many weeks ago. The Nanking regime has offered a $10,000 re- ward for the arrest of Mo's mur- derer.
ter.
are enormously increased by tor-
In 14 Months
Reuter's correspondent says The German 'planes passed that the number of German Helsingborg but were driven off
troops in Rumania at the mo by gunfire and later they ap-
ment is a little over 15,000 but The Chinese only had
ston.proached Landakorna, wherè guns rollers and the same sort of hoes also opened up.
preparations are being made to receive many imore and there are, Ministry of Social Affairs of the and pick-axes as probably were
One bomber, apparently hit, new Nanking regime. The latter used in the days of Confucius, į
reports that more troops are on victim, it is recalled, was shot on while women, even little girls, was seen to land in Danish ter
with ritory but the two, others
their way through Hungary, August 9 shortly after 10 p.m., helped, staggering along
aircraft fire.
Full-dress air rald exercises are being held in the centre of the.. Several foreign 'planes alap oil-helds, where the German flew over Swedish territorial waters on Thursday, according troops crowd the restaurants cach to a communique issued
Reuter. by night. Swedish defence 'headquartere,
were
Chang Ching-po, alleged to be ust after he had left the Great stones and baskets of dirt on only driven off after further anti-
leader of the third company of the "Blue Shirt Society" was recently arrested by the Settlement police ́cooperating with Japanese gen-
darmes, after long investigations: had been made by Nanking's po litical police, according to the "Central China Daily News," or gan of the new regime. A joint raid was made in an upstairs room of a Chinese lumber hong at 1018
Sinza Road and as a result, Chang, said to be a former ballroom manager, was caught,
China Hotel in Yu Ya-ching Road. their heads. Mow was killed by one of the men alleged to be under Chang's per-
sonal direction. 1
She
Nevertheless the road, was begun In October, 1937, and was actually finished for light motor traffic only 14 months fater.
The communique
says
fn comparative comfort.
that
The other alleged pro-Chungking Shun Pao" to be a 18-year old terrorist is reported by the "Sih girl named, Miss Chiu Pu.
The gradients in some places was arrested some time ago in are terrife, with awful hair pin two German planes were sight Hangchow and has now been turns where the road is onlyed over the east coast of Scania, handed over to the political police eight feet wide, with a sheer drop cff the province of Blekinge. A.A. at 76 Jessfield Road. She is on the outside of 2,000 feet. batteries of the fortress of Karls- alleged to have confessed to taking The past two months have scen krona drove them off-Router. part in the attempted assassina- great improvements effected; godd tion of Shu Sheng, a reporter of rest houses have been bullt, the the paper, on March 28 in Hong-surface of the road Improvel and kew. After his recovery from strengthened, culverts dug It is stated that Chang was his wounds, Shu went to Hang-carry off the rains. sleeping at the time, and when he chow for a rest and she is alleged was asked to get up he tried to to have chased her intended vic- Jump out from a window to escapo tim to the lake city. She is said but was eventually arrested. He to be, a Shanghai student and Is Is alleged to have confessed hav- alleged to be a member of the
The whole journey can be ac- ing shot dead both Mo and: Mow. "Three. People's Principle Youth Yu-fong, a commissioner of the Corps," a Chunghting organisation. I con.plished in six to seven days
Earlier Shooting Recalled
300 Miles From
Indo-China
Iust of the road within Yuh- tonán lles only 300 miles from the Indo-China Border and hence
RUST IN BULGARIA
Herr Rust, Nazi Minister of Education, who is now in Bulgaria, has been received by King Boris.'
Reuter.
can easily be reuclied from the NOTHING TO REPORT
Japanese new ait bases in Indo- China, but the Chinese, having triumphed over such great na-
Yesterday's "G.H.Q. "communi-
Ftural obstacles in making the que in Cairo stated: thero - was
road, are quite confident of their nothing to report on all fronts. ability to keep it open-Reufor, Reuter.